Federal Hill liquor board hearing postponed

Richard GorelickThe Baltimore Sun

A liquor board hearing scheduled for Thursday that was gearing up to be a contentious battle has been postponed.

Neighborhood groups in the Federal Hill area are opposing a liquor license transfer that would allow the owners of Michael's Cafe in Timonium to operate an establishment at the corner of South Charles and West Cross streets.

Those seeking the liquor license have agreed to meet again with the neighborhood groups that had expressed concerns about the proposed project, according to Stephan Fogelman, chairman of the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City.

The neighborhood associations said that the owners of Michael's had not agreed to their desired occupancy limit of 150 and were unsatisfied with Michael's parking situation.

"We're very pleased [with the postponement]," said Amy Mutch, president of the South Baltimore Neighborhood Association, which took a lead role in opposing the transfer application.